Microsoft Windows Registry Guide, Second Edition

Chapter 11

Scripting Registry Changes

Think of what life would be like for an IT professional without automation. Each time you needed to change settings, you'd have to get up from your desk and find the right user's computer in a maze of cubicles.

Scripting is a more efficient way to deploy and change settings. Notice that I didn't use the word “manage,” which applies more to policies than it does to scripting. If you need to manage settings, see Chapter 7, “Using Registry-Based Policy.” Scripting is useful on many levels. You can write a script that changes a group of settings and then test the script in the lab before deploying it. If you need to update the script, you can easily use a regression-test to assess how your changes affect the results. I like scripting registry changes because settings can be made on countless computers without introducing the potential for human error each time. Also, you can deploy scripts without visiting desktops. To deploy scripts without having to interrupt users' work, you can use your software management infrastructure (or a more unreliable methodology if you don't have an infrastructure).

This chapter describes five of my favorite scripting methods. The first is using INF files. I like the simplicity of INF files and the fact that there's no registry setting that they can't edit. The second scripting method is using REG files, which you can easily create by exporting settings from Registry Editor (Regedit). I describe how to use Console Registry Tool for Windows (Reg.exe), which is a terrific tool for changing settings from batch files, to edit the registry from a command prompt window. I also describe how to write scripts that change settings. Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 (Windows) come with Windows Script Host, and this chapter shows you how to write scripts using the JScript and Microsoft Visual Basic, Scripting Edition (VBScript) languages. Finally, I describe how to build a Windows Installer package file to deploy settings. This technique is great because you can deploy those settings through Active Directory and Group Policy. Because I cover so many different techniques, the first section, “Choosing a Technique,” helps you choose the scripting method that's best for you.